Assad used chemical weapons in three attacks this year

Yvette Wood |Saturday, September 15, 2018

Attack on Idlib could lead to worst loss of life this century: UN official

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan last week failed to secure a pledge for a ceasefire in Idlib from Russian Federation and Iran, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main backers, at a trilateral summit in Tehran.

In an article in today's Wall Street Journal, he calls on the worldwide community to take action, and warns that "the entire world stands to pay the price" otherwise.

Idlib is home to some three million people - about half of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country, according to the UN.

Western governments have said Damascus might again resort to the use of chemical weapons while Moscow has accused rebels of staging one as a pretext for Western intervention.

Before Tuesday's meeting, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, a special envoy for Iran's foreign minister, said a "good result" could emerge.

Haley further blamed Russian Federation and the regime for allegedly carrying out more than 100 air strikes, some of which she said were "ruthless double tap" strikes targeting first responders.

The civilians, hundreds of thousands of whom may choose to try and flee across the border into Turkey, were merely "hostages" being used by the militants, said Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's envoy to the UN Security Council.

"With all our generosity, we have gone to extraordinary lengths to alleviate suffering of the Syrian people, hosting some 3.5 million refugees, more than any other country in the world".

On Monday, the United Nations envoy is scheduled to hold a meeting with representatives of the three guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire - Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Tahrir al-Sham is the number one terrorist group of the Idlib operation on Turkey's border, according to Russian Federation and Syria.

An estimated 3mn people live in Idlib - the last major stronghold of active opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia's Defense Ministry has said that a fake chemical attack on civilians has been filmed in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib.

Erdogan said that a focus on the potential use of chemical weapons alone was not enough.

A full-scale military offensive on Idlib risks creating the worst humanitarian tragedy of the 21st century, United Nations aid agencies have said, amid concerns that a severe funding shortfall threatens the most vulnerable victims of the conflict.

Turkey now hosts almost 3.5 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world.

Haley warned of dire consequences if mass casualties were caused if the assault went ahead.

"A tragedy that will occur in a possible [military] operation in Idlib is not only Turkey's problem but Europe's as well", Yildirim said.

A major obstacle to a substantive agreement, observers say, is the fate of jihadists in the province, including foreign hardliners. "We're talking about a terrorist operation".

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